Suitcase convertible to wardrobe



' g- 23, 1951 F. B. JUDSON SUITCASE CONVERTIBLE TO WARDROBE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 25, 1948 Aug. 28, 1 F. B. JUDSON SUITCASE CONVERTIBLE TO WARDROBE Filed June 25, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 b I/ I' Aug. 28, 1951 F. B. JUDSON SUITCASE CONVERTIBLE TO WARDROBE s Sheeizs-Sheet 5 Filed June 25, 1948 I 'l I,

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Patented Aug. 28, 1951 OFFICE SUITCASE, CONVERTIBLE T WARDROBE Frederick B. Judson, Washington, D 0. Application June 25, 1948, Serial No, 35,217

My invention relates to improvements in traveling bags; and my objects are: to provide a hand. portable container which is more conveniently accessible by the use of a drawer-like device telescopically encased. in an outer casing, and which, in combination. with said casing has the attractive appearance and hand portability of a conventional traveling bag; to provide said bag with a handle which serves both. for-extending the drawer and for carrying the traveling bag; to provide for securing the drawer, when it is closed into thecasing, by the provision. of manually operated catches attached to the casing and engaging the drawer, in addition to.- a conventional locking device; to. providefor the use of my invention, when being carried manually, as containers of suits and-dresses on hangers without materially affecting their normal press; to provide, in a traveling bag of the type herein disclosed, the advantages of a wardrobe trunk Without the cumbersomeness inherent to. such lug.- gage, by the use of simplified, lightweight, yet adequate construction and by the use of a drawer extendable upward from the casing to give adequate height to the bag to hang suits and dresses as in a clothes closet, and yetpreservethehand portability and normal dimensions found in conventional traveling bags; to provide a means for securing the extended drawer in the casing for the bags use as a wardrobe; and to. provide a means I partly pulled out;'

Figure3 is a detailed vertical section, through section line 3-3, Figure 1, showing details of the catch mechanism and thefriction stud;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section throughthe. line 4-4 of Figure 2, but also shows the bag as it would appear when used in an upright, fully extended position.

Figure 5 is a view of the front, top or opening end of the bag.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section of the drawer portion of the bag through section line 6-6, Figure 4; and

Figure 7 isa vertical section. of the drawer portion of the bag showing details of the cloth cover, 1-.

4 Claims. (01. 190-15) 2 its snap fasteners and the reinforcing bar, the view being taken on the line of Fig. 4.

The casing a, withjits conventional protective bindings b along the outer corners andledges contains. a drawerc disposed telescopicallywithin casing a. Side 11 of drawer 0 serves also as, the closure for the. open. side. of container a, saidside being common to. both. the casing a. and the drawer c, but, an integral part of, drawer c. This feature eliminates the top opening feature of conventional traveling bags and thus permits the stacking of other. traveling bags of like manufacture in: multiple for use asv a conventional clothes bureau. Side d has attachedto it a handle s which serves the dual purpose of a drawer pull anda carrying handle for the traveling bag. Side d has a conventional type'mortised lock. 1 set in it midway along itsv upper edge so that when locked it will engage the. casing a securely at poin 1*- See Figures 1 and 2. In its primary function lock] can adequately secure the drawer c tocasing a but, to distribute theload tov permit the traveling bag to be carried by handle s when it is loaded, to assist lock f in its secQndaryfunction two specially designed latching devices, catches g, are attached to casing 41 as shown. in Figures 1 and 2-. Catch 9 consists of .ahinge, with a bar attached to one leaf, thus forming the equivalent of a bell crank lever, and which is designed to fit in apertures t and u in casing a and drawer 0, when said apertures '25 and u register with each other. The position of only one such catch g, is shown in each of Figures 1, in closed position, and 2 in open position, asthe other catch is situated opposite the one shown. This com.- bination of lock and catches secures drawer c to casing c with catches a equidistant from lock 1, thus distributing the weight of the casing proportionally at three points when the traveling bag is being carried manually. I

A detailed vertical section of catch .0 in its relative position with respect to casing a and drawer c and-in closed position, is shown in Figure 3. Catch 9 must protrude'from the side of the casing a when in closed position,. as little as possible .yet must be easily accessible to the operator; it must also be located near the opening end of the drawer c, to permit latching with. drawer c when extended as shown in Figure 4. It. must also. furnish enough. friction while closed. to. prevent its accidental opening when the bag. is being transported. Catch 0 consists of a fiat metal hinge in which the. fixed leaf h is rigidly attached. to casing a, a swingingleaf 7' connectedv to fixedgleafh, a flat spring i imbedded. in fixed leaf'h which is rabbeted for that purpose. and a straight bolt k protruding from its under side.

Bolt it penetrates into the wall of drawer only as far as the inner surface of said drawer, thus a conventional lining to drawer 0 will cover the aperture t to prevent the entrance of dust and other foreign matter into the contents of the traveling bag. The apertures t and u, Figure 3, and apertures mzFigure 4 in both casing a and drawer c are lined by metal bushings v and w to reduce wear on the aperture u, in the case of drawer c, and, in the case of aperture t in casing a, to protect the material of which casing a is made, from moisture. u are registered in such a position as to permit the catch 9 to fully close only when drawer c is fully closed into casing a. Thus the traveling bag can be considered secure for carrying only when the catch 9 is closed fiat. Catch g has a lip :0 by which the finger of the operator can lift leaf 7' and thus easily disengage catch'g from drawer 0.

Side d of drawer c, constituting also the opening endof casing a is fashioned to fit flush onto the open end of casing a, as in Figure 1, thus giving the entire traveling bag a symmetrical and pleasing appearance. Side (1 is of a thickness approximately equal to the sum of the thicknesses of a drawer side and a casing side. Side d is channeled aroundall four inside edges of its inner surface by half its total thickness to fit it snugly into casing a, thus insuring a close fit and assisting somewhat in preventing the entrance of moisture and other foreign matter into the contents of the traveling bag (Figures 2 and 4). Drawer 0 is designed tofit into casing a with a minimum of play along either axis and yet permit relatively free telescopic action within casing a. To take up any undesired play that may accidently be incorporated in manufacture, and to provide a means of reducing wear onboth drawer c and casing a due to friction, as a result of repeatedly sliding drawer c in and out of easing a, two conventional metal strips ee and'e are affixed to the lower outside angles of the drawer c and the lower inside angles of easing a.

Conventional friction studs 1', in multiple numbers are screwed into casing a near the corners on the side normally coming into contact with any resting surface. While the bag is being used as a bureau these friction studs have the'additional function of assisting in maintaining the casing a stationary when drawer c is pulled out or pushed in. A detailed section of such a friction stud r is shown in Figure 3, showing a flattened contact surface to increase the friction area. Other conventional studs are provided on the sides usually coming in contact with another surface while the bag is in transit.

The end of the drawer c opposite side dis open but provided, in lieu of a conventional side, with a reinforcing bar q which connects the two resulting free corners. This open end feature of the drawer permits the clothing to extend down into the casing a when the drawer c is fully extended as shown in Figure 4.

A perforated frame approximately as wide as the depth of drawer c has a central panel attached to side 11 of drawer c and has two angular wings mm attached to the adjoining drawer sides so as to reinforce drawer c, and to furnish a supporting member for clothes hanging rod 1. Frame wings mm are attached by screws and rivets as shown in Figure 4, are perforated throughout to reduce weight and the central panel is grooved to receive a clothes hanging rod 1. Clothes hang- The apertures t and ing rod 1 consists of a U-shaped bar of which one leg is supported in the groove in the central frame panel and the other leg is used to support one or more clothes hangers. The ends of the U-shaped rod Z are slightly enlarged to form knobs to prohibit the sliding oil of the clothes hangers and yet not hinder their removal when so desired (see Figures 4 and 6).

In orderato secure drawer c in a fully extended position, as shown in Figure 4, additional apertures an: are provided in the sides of the drawer at points furtherest from side (1 and in line with apertures uu. Thus the catches gg can be closed to engage the drawer c in its extended position as shown. This provides a dual function in catches go, that of securing drawer 0 closed in casing a, and that of holding drawer 0 fully extended from casing a.

A cloth cover 12. is provided with fasteners 0000 at each of its corners that snap onto the bottom of drawer 0, fold over reinforcing bar q and snap on also toframe wings mm of drawer c at points 'zz'as shown in Figure '7. This cloth cover serves as a dust shield when the traveling bag is used as a wardrobe, and, when the traveling bag is closed up for carrying, as the end of drawer c, to prevent the contents of the bag from getting wedged in between the drawer and the casing. Figure 4 shows the cloth cover n in semi-fastened position when drawer c is extended. Figure 7 shows cloth cover 11. when drawer c is closed.

The traveling bag, as designed for use as a wardrobe, and shown in Figure 4, can be also used as a bureau drawer as shown in Figure 2, if such is the desire of the user. Clothes hanging rod I can be folded away towards side d when not in use. Inasmuch as handle 5 on side d of drawer c is attached to the shortest side of the bag an additional conventional handle s is attached to a longer side as shown in Figure 4. This permits the user 'to carry the bag along the axis most convenient to him.

In hand luggage I claim:

1. A traveling bag comprising a casing, a drawer telescoped in said casing, a handle on the outer end of said drawer for carrying said bag, a locking means on said drawer, a pair of latching devices on said casing cooperating with said locking means to secure said drawer to said casing when said bag is being transported, apertures at both ends of said drawer, apertures at the outer end of said casing, said apertures coacting with said latching devices to hold said drawer in opened or closed position, said drawer being open at its inner end, a reinforcing bar across said open end, said reinforcing bar connecting the free corners of the sides of said drawer.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which a reinforcement is provided across the outer end of said drawer, said reinforcement being in one piece and attached to the sides oflsaid drawer at its ends and being attached to the outer end of said drawer between its ends, said reinforcement being perforated in its entirety, said reinforcement being grooved midway between its ends at right angles to its longitudinal axis.

-3. A'device according to claim 2 in which one leg of a U-shaped bar is supported in the groove of said reinforcement, said U-shaped bar being swingable between operative and inoperative positions, and said U-shaped 'bar having enlargements or knobs at its ends.

4. A device according to claim 3 in which a cloth cover is provided to cover the open sides of said drawer, said cover being provided with 5 fastening devices, and said drawer being provided Number with fasteners complementary to those on said 353,876 cover, so that said cover may be attached to said 466,194 drawer at multiple points. 584,279 FREDERICK B. JUDSON. 5 587,487 825,642 REFERENCES CITED 1,663,353 The following references are of record in the 1,959,066 file of this patent: 2,481,106

UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 Number Name Date Number 77,423 Weaver Apr. 28, 1868 11,172 189,410 Worthington Apr. 10, 1877 256,683 325,555 Meurer et a1 Sept. 1, 1885 15 Name 7 Date Meurer et a1 Dec. 7, 1886 Snaman Dec. 29, 1891 Wallace June 8, 1897 Palica Aug. 3, 1897 Enright July 10, 1906 De Luca May 1, 1928 Schmitz May 15, 1934 Gold Sept. 6, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain May 10, 1912 Great Britain Aug. 12, 1926 

